ABOUT THE GARDEN | WHAT IT IS & HOW IT WORKS
The Garden — A Center for Grieving Children and Teens is a non-profit agency providing support to young people and their
families, a place to talk about loss and help parents and guardians
learn how to help their children through their grief.
What It Is
- The loss of a loved one is difficult at any age, but for young people
it can be particularly hard to understand the emotions and the issues
related to death and dying.
- Children respond differently to death than adults, but they grieve as much as any grown up and benefit from a caring, knowledgeable environment.
- At The Garden, our focus is the child - and our programs and discussion groups are geared toward helping young people identify and share their feelings and begin the healing process. Yet the program is for the whole family: while groups of children get together to share stories, feelings, and memories with each other, parents and guardians meet separately for a chance to discuss their own concerns facing them and their families.
- Groups are facilitated by carefully selected and trained volunteers who encourage an exchange of feelings, ideas and support through discussions, arts and crafts and recreational activities.
- One thing we know: children don't grieve in a "gloomy" way - which
is sometimes why their grieving process is overlooked in the first
place. At The Garden are designed to be fun, while also teaching
kids effective and important coping skills.
How It Works
- Families come together twice each month. After a brief welcome and introduction, children divide into age-appropriate groups led by a trained facilitator to read books, play games, draw, paint or perform an exercise designed to stimulate a discussion about their loss.
- Meanwhile, parents and guardians meet separately to talk about children and bereavement, and the issues that surround a grieving family. At the end of each session, children and adults come together to complete a joint activity designed to facilitate family communication about their feelings. The Garden is not a therapy group - it is a support program for children and their families. However, the staff at The Garden is prepared to discuss and make recommendations for independent grief counseling upon request.
- All programs and services at The Garden are free. However, participating families are encouraged to make a monthly contribution in an amount that is comfortable.
- We are committed to making our program available to everyone. We rely on the generosity of our volunteers and the community we serve to keep it that way. If you are interested in making a donation to The Garden (financial or in-kind), please call us at 413-584-7086 ext. 124.
- To sign up for The Garden, please call 413-584-7086 ext. 124, send us an email or use the contact form; we would be happy to discuss the program with you in more detail and answer any questions you may have. All families are welcome
Garden Advisory Members
Judy Allen, Bereavement Group Facilitator
Julie Culhane, Ph.D. Board of Early Education and Care
Renee Denenfeld, University of Massachusetts Nursing Department
Barbara Dubeck, Private Practice Psychotherapist
Mike Epstein, The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children and Teens
Dan Kirsch, Executive Search Services
Jess Miller, Web Design & Hosting
Jon Schwab, M.D. Northampton Area Pediatrics
The Garden's website has been fully redesigned. If you notice any errors, have any suggestions or would like to make any comments or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to contact us!
NEW WEBSITE DESIGN
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Last Update:
June 19, 2009 9:14 AM
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